Tag Archives: cary nord

Preview: Greatest Adventure #8

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Greatest Adventure #8

writer: Bill Willingham
artist: Cezar Razek
covers: Cary Nord (A), Greg Smallwood (B), Roberto Castro (C), Cary Nord (RI-Virgin)
FC | 32 pages | $3.99 | Teen+

The Resolve has been defeated by Tarzan’s team, but at a terrible cost in lives. And now, something odd is going on as the heroes attempt to pilot the captured ship—and they end up on Venus, rather than their intended destination – because the nefarious mastermind who craves the power of the ultimate death-ray still has a trick or two up his sleeve!

Preview: Greatest Adventure #7

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Greatest Adventure #7

writer: Bill Willingham
artist: Cezar Razek
covers: Cary Nord (A), Greg Smallwood (B), Roberto Castro (C)
Cary Nord (RI-Virgin)
FC | 32 pages | $3.99 | Teen+

The crew of the villainous Resolve continues on their quest for the rare gemstone known as the Eye of Judgment –the final component that will allow them to build a war machine of terrible power – but there’s still hope yet, as the two greatest heroes of Earth and Mars—Tarzan and John Carter—have joined forces!

Review: Faith And The Future Force #4

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FFF_004_VARIANT_CHEUNG“Bloodshot was a bust… Divinity didn’t work… Ninjak was nixed… No matter which of the Valiant Universe’s greatest heroes she recruits to her aid, Faith still can’t save the time stream! With time literally running out all around her, does L.A.’s sky-soaring superhero have what it takes to defend the entire universe…or will the secret key to saving existence itself come from the most darkest and most unexplored avenue of all?”

Well  this was an unexpected conclusion. When the combined might of the Valiant universe fails to save history, Faith, Neela Sethi and Ank try one last hail Mary – and it’s not exactly what you’d expect.

Faith And The Future Force has been a subtly intelligent series that subverts the industry established conventions that bigger and stronger heroes are needed as things get worse and the damage worsens. By having three comics in the four issue miniseries essentially tell the same story Jody Houser both pokes a little fun at the yearly summer events from the “Big Two” publishers while providing her own unique solution in the fourth issue; at some point we’ve got to learn that doing the same damn thing all the time just doesn’t work. To borrow a famous slogan, sometimes we need to think different.

To drive home the shift in thinking from the first three issues to the fourth, the art of Cary Nord (with Brian Thies) brings a different style to the story that is a little noticeable after the relative consistency of the first three issues, but that’s the entire point isn’t it? Although there is a scrappy feeling to the  artwork, it’s still very easy to follow the story –  it won’t leave your jaw on the floor, but there’s nothing inherently bad about the visuals this issue.

Where the comic does stumble is actually in some of the believability of the characters actions as they seem to just accept things without thinking too much about the whys. Granted this could be Houser making a clever point that I’m too dense to follow.

Ultimately the comic, and series as a whole, triumphs over the flaws in this issue – and while this could have easily been another arc within the ongoing Faith series, you’re not going to be lost if you’ve never touched the previous material as Faith And The Future Force stands alone as an entertaining story with a meta message.

Story: Jody Houser Art: Cary Nord with Brian Thies Colourist: Ulises Arreola
Story: 8.0 Art: 7.5 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Buy (the trade)

Valiant provided Graphic Policy a FREE copy for review – but I’m still buying this.

Preview: Faith and the Future Force #4 (of 4)

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FAITH AND THE FUTURE FORCE #4 (of 4)

Written by JODY HOUSER
Art by CARY NORD
Cover A by BARRY KITSON (AUG172133)
Cover B by JEN BARTEL (AUG172134)
Variant Cover by JEFFREY VEREGGE (AUG172135)
Variant Cover by CHRYSSY CHEUNG (AUG172136)
$3.99 | 32 pages | T+ | On Sale OCTOBER 18th

The final countdown!

Bloodshot was a bust… Divinity didn’t work… Ninjak was nixed… No matter which of the Valiant Universe’s greatest heroes she recruits to her aid, Faith still can’t save the time stream! With time literally running out all around her, does L.A.’s sky-soaring superhero have what it takes to defend the entire universe…or will the secret key to saving existence itself come from the most darkest and most unexplored avenue of all?

Eisner Award nominee Jody Houser (FAITH) is joined by Eisner Award-winning artist Cary Nord (X-O MANOWAR) to bring Valiant’s spectacular standalone event to an unfathomable finale…and when the clock reaches zero, no amount of time travel can ever undo the damage done!

Preview: Greatest Adventure #6

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Greatest Adventure #6

writer: Bill Willingham
artist: Cezar Razek
covers: Cary Nord (A), Greg Smallwood (B), Roberto Castro (C)
Cary Nord (RI-Virgin)
FC • 32 pages • $3.99 • Teen+

Two legends meet at last! Tarzan has been captured by a tribe of Green Martians – and now he must team up with John Carter of Mars in order to escape their clutches! But will they be in time to stop the villainous crew of the Resolve?

Review: Faith And The Future Force #3

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FAITH_FF_003_COVER-A_MOCK“Faith Herbert and Neela Sethi, the newest Timewalker, Neela Sethi’s first attempt at saving time from being unwritten has failed…which means it’s time to rewind the clocks and star— Wait, didn’t this happen already? No matter which heroes she recruits, Faith’s attempts at saving the time stream keep ending in disaster, throwing her in an endless loop of doomed missions! To break the cycle, Faith and Timewalker will have to call upon their strangest recruit yet for a last ditch effort to save the universe!”

As this story is all about time travel, why don’t we hop into the timestream ourselves, dear reader?

Full disclosure: if you didn’t read the last issue, you’ll be lost here. Don’t expect any of the following to make sense (and expect a few spoilers).

In the first issue of Faith And The Future Force, Jody Houser wove an intuitive story about time travel and effortlessly explains how Time Walking works within the Valiant Universe without spending pages and pages dedicated to something that could easily lose readers with its complexity.

Although the last few issues of the ongoing Faith failed to deliver on the promise shown earlier in the series, Jody Houser returns to the promise of those early issues. We’re also seeing Faith face an enemy that feels like a genuine threat, whilst simultaneously being light enough to not feel out of place in the series. It’s an odd dichotomy, but one that works very well.FFF_003_003

Diego Bernard with Juan Castro and Cary Nord with Brian Thies are on art duties here, and neither they nor colourist Ulises Arreola disappoint – indeed my only complaint is the watermark on the review copy kept me from being able to really appreciate the vibrancy of their work. Especially around the time doors.

Faith and the Future Force #3 is an interesting beast. If you read and enjoyed the first issues then this one is almost more of the same, so you should know exactly what to expect when you crack the cover.

As far as time travel style comics go, this is an enjoyable diversion from your daily life for however long it takes you to read it. If you’re in you’re LCS in the next couple of days and you see this and the first two issues there then take a chance on the series. Faith and the Future Force is a fun story that explores the intricacies of time travel and a hero’s willingness to save the world at any cost.

Story: Jody Houser
Art: Diego Bernard with Juan Castro and Cary Nord with Brian Thies
Colours: Ulises Arreola Letters: Dave Sharpe
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

Valiant provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review.

Preview: Greatest Adventure #5

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Greatest Adventure #5

writer: Bill Willingham
artist: Cezar Razek
covers: Cary Nord (A)
Greg Smallwood (B)
Roberto Castro (C)
Cary Nord (RI-Virgin)
Greg Smallwood (RI-Virgin)
FC • 32 pages • $3.99 • Teen+

Does this spell the end of the Venture? As the crew races to Barsoom, a volley of explosive fire from a tribe of green Martians – the Warhoons — sinks the once proud-airship down to earth! But Tarzan isn’t fazed – he has a plan (and with a certain local’s assistance) they might yet save the galaxy from the villainous Rokoff…assuming, of course, they can survive that long!

Preview: Greatest Adventure #3

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Greatest Adventure #3

writer: Bill Willingham
artist: Cezar Razek
covers: Cary Nord (a), Patrick Zircher (b), Roberto Castro (c)
incentive cover: Cary Nord (“virgin” art), Patrick Zircher (B/W art), Roberto Castro (B/W art)
Order the cover of your choice.
FC • 32 pages • $3.99 • Teen+

The race to capture the rare gemstone known as the “Eye of Judgment” continues – has brought both the crews of the noble Venture and the villainous Resolve to the Lost Land of Caspak! But as they press on into the interior of the island, they’ll have to deal with the dangers of the native prehistoric flora and fauna – that is to say, the DINOSAURS!

Preview: Greatest Adventure #2

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Greatest Adventure #2

writer: Bill Willingham
artist: Cezar Razek
covers: Cary Nord (a), Patrick Zircher (b), Roberto Castro (c)
incentive cover: Cary Nord (B/W art), Patrick Zircher (B/W art), Cary Nord (B/W art)
Order the cover of your choice.
FC • 32 pages • $3.99 • Teen+

Tarzan, John Carter, and the rest of the crew of the Venture set sail in hot pursuit of the rare gemstone known as the Eye of Judgment – locked in a deadly race to the end with the alien battleship Resolve!  They must retrieve the gem before their opponents do – or else must contend with a death ray of nightmarish
proportions – one that is able to reach out across entire galaxies and snuff out life!

Preview: Britannia: We Who Are About to Die #1 (of 4)

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BRITANNIA: WE WHO ARE ABOUT TO DIE #1 (of 4)

Written by PETER MILLIGAN
Art by JUAN JOSÉ RYP
Cover A by CARY NORD (FEB172054)
Cover B by DAVID MACK (FEB172055)
Character Design Variant by DAVID MACK (FEB172057)
Variant Cover by ADAM GORHAM (FEB172058)
Variant Cover by DAVE JOHNSON (FEB172059)
Blank Cover Also Available (FEB172056)
$3.99 | 32 pgs. | T+ | VALIANT PRESTIGE | On Sale APRIL 26 (FOC – 4/3/17)

Valiant’s critically acclaimed, 10-time sold-out magnum opus returns with a brand-new journey into myth and mystery, from comics master Peter Milligan (Shade, The Changing Man) and incendiary artist Juan José Ryp (BRITANNIA)!

Fifty thousand Romans stand on their feet, watching from the rafters of the coliseum with captured breath as Achillia, a gladiator unlike any that Rome has seen before, faces incredible odds – one lone warrior against five of Rome’s greatest. Such is the tradition, when a female gladiator enters the fray. When the carnage is complete, the coliseum roars its approval as Achillia stands victorious. Now, only one match away from winning her freedom, she has begun to gain renown. The women of Rome, suppressed by their husbands and fathers, have noticed. The men of Rome, husbands and fathers to a growing horde of women entertaining ideas of independence, have noticed as well.

On the other side of Rome, a strange mystery swirls through the Palatine Hill. In the dead of night, down winding alleys, Rome’s elite swear that they see visions of a blood-soaked Apollo walking the city…visions that are driving them mad. Even more are becoming sick with weird fever god-dreams. Panic ensues in the city. The Chief Vestal, Rubria, is arrested by Emperor Nero and threatened with crucifixion unless the deadly curse that’s fallen on Rome is lifted. She asks Antonius Axia, hero of Britannia and Rome’s only detective, for help. She offers only one clue…the gladiator Achillia.

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